Data & Analytics

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Belk has engaged the services of ChannelAdvisor, a global e-commerce platform provider, for comparison shopping strategy and data feed management. Belk is utilizing ChannelAdvisor’s Comparison Shopping and Flex Feed solutions to skillfully create, optimize and distribute Belk’s product data feeds to multiple shopping engines such as Shopzilla, Shopping.com, Nextag and PriceGrabber as well as to a variety of other commerce partners.

Former Walmart chief merchandising officer John Fleming was named to the board of advisors at the online shopper engagement firm Jingit.

Birmingham, Ala. -- Books-A-Million has named Michael Rediker as corporate development analyst. Rediker will be responsible for identifying, analyzing and implementing strategic corporate initiatives within the organization, including new business growth opportunities.

Rediker was most recently with the investment banking firm Paces Battle Group Inc. where he also provided a broad array of transactional and other corporate finance services to bank and thrift clients.

Newell Rubbermaid’s net sales declined 1.9% to $1.52 billion in the second quarter ended June 30. Net income declined 23.8% to $111.8 million. But those declines didn’t prevent CEO Michael Polk from looking at the bright side and pointing to momentum.

Core sales, which exclude the impact of changes in foreign currency translation, grew by 0.4%. And net sales for the first six months were $2.85 billion, up 1.0 % from the first-half results last year.

San Diego -- Walmart has completed its 100th solar installation in California, at a store on College Avenue in San Diego. After launching its solar pilot program in May 2007, Walmart strengthened its commitment to renewable energy in the state of California last year when it announced plans to expand its solar portfolio to more than 75% of its stores in California, approximately 130 stores, by the end of 2013. There are now 100 Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs in California using traditional and thin film solar installations.

Burlington, Mass. -- OrderMotion, a web-based platform for direct-to-consumer (D2C) campaign and order management, announced that Midwest consumer goods retailer Alco Stores selected OrderMotion's OMX platform as the back-office technology best suited to grow with its online volume demands while also leveraging its Magento eCommerce front-end system.  

SECAUCUS, N.J. — Panasonic Corporation of North America has launched a new communication campaign designed to bring attention to the brand's broad scope of products and solutions designed to meet consumer, business-to-business, and industrial needs. The campaign will also underscore Panasonic's global commitment to becoming the electronics industry's leader in green innovation by its 100th anniversary in 2018.

Roswell, Ga. -- PGA Tour Superstore announced plans to open a location in Paramus, N.J. The store, scheduled to open later this year, is PGA Tour’s 15th location.

The PGA superstores are owned and operated by Golf & Tennis Pro Shop, whose controlling owner and chairman is Arthur M. Blank, retired Home Depot co-founder and owner of the Atlanta Falcons.